A/N: As I sit here and write this next chapter, my heart is full of grief for the families in Connecticut affected by today's shooting. Please take a moment and say a prayer for them if you are a believer or a moment of silence. Thank you. I hope as we go through this holiday season, all of you are able to hug someone close to you and tell them that you love them. I hope all of your wishes come true and you are surrounded by loved ones. (: You are an amazing group of people and I thank you for the support and encouragement you have given to me. I actually didn't mean to have such a long chapter, but hope you like it.
Chapter 6 – Shadow King Forgiveness
Haruhi didn't stay up too late with Mori or Hunny. She knew that she still had to get up early and go to school. Not to mention that she had to go to her internship and work. It was going to be a long day and without sleep she would not make it through. So reluctantly she went to the guest room and turned in by ten that night so that she could be ready for the next day.
That night she dreamed of walking away from the club like she normally did, but there was more to it. She found herself on a hill overlooking a meadow. Nothing could be seen except flowers and tall grass that were moving with the breeze. She walked around the top of the hill and looked in each direction. There was nothing there, but suddenly she heard a small laugh behind her. She knew that laugh and turned around; moving in the direction the laugh came from. Haruhi looked down the hill and saw Hunny on Mori's back making their way towards her at the top. As they got closer, she noticed that Hunny aged and grew and Mori eventually put him down to walk on his own. By the time both of them made it to the top, they had matured and were the men she ran into that very day. Both hugged her and Hunny was laughing again.
Haruhi stood back and admired her friends and how they had grown when she noticed Hunny was pointing to the other side of the hill. He told her to go look and when she reached the other side and looked down the hill, Kyoya was making his way towards her, a phone in his hand and up to his ear. His glasses were glinting in the sunlight. He looked up and she got a chill, but then he smiled at her. Her heart felt like and she smiled back. When he reached the top of the hill, he put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Welcome back." He then turned her around and pushed her in another direction.
Haruhi was confused about why the Shadow King would smile at her a genuine smile and then push her, but he was there and she wasn't going to argue. She walked forward and looked down another side of the hill. Walking her way, but not looking up was Hikaru and Kaoru. She was suddenly very nervous about seeing them after what happened when she spoke to them the last time, but when they looked up with a mischievous grin and yelled, "Our toy", she let herself relax a little. When they reached the top, they both embraced her and wouldn't let go until she was thoroughly red and breathless from their teasing. She pulled back and noticed that they had gotten older, but they were still very playful.
She felt that something was missing and looked around to the group that had been assembled. Suddenly all five boys pointed to the one side of the hill that no one had scaled yet. She quickly went over there and looked down. Tamaki was on his way up the hill. She wanted to turn away, but she couldn't. The others had lined up behind her and prevented escape. When Tamaki reached the apex of the hill, he opened his arms to her, "My daughter, you have returned to your family! We missed you!" He grabbed her and started swinging her around. Soon she couldn't breathe and at first she was just happy to be welcomed back by him, but then she decided she needed oxygen and reached towards where Mori and Hunny were standing. Only it wasn't Mori that came to save her, it was Hunny.
Haruhi awoke from her dream with a start. Hunny was shaking her awake and telling her that it was time to wake up. She looked at the clock on the nightstand, she slept through the alarm and it was 15 minutes past the time she was supposed to wake up, "Thank you Mitsukuni! I don't know what happened."
"No problem Haru-Chan! I was up and heard the alarm, but you never turned it off so I thought I better check on you. Are you ok?" Hunny said looking into her eyes.
Haruhi saw the worry in his brown eyes and smiled, "I am alright. I was just having a dream and I guess I was lost to it in a way."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Maybe later, right now I need to get ready for school."
Hunny stood up from his seat on the side of the bed, "Ok Haru-Chan, I will cook up some breakfast for us while you get ready. Then I will give you a ride to school."
She giggled a little, "Ok, I will let you take me to school this time." Her eyes followed him out of the room and when the door was closed, she flopped back onto her back and wondered where that dream had come from. It wasn't a bad dream, it was just weird. She figured she probably had it because she had seen three out of the six hosts the day before and they were slowly coming back into her life. She only hoped that it would eventually be as happy as the dream had been. She got up and went to get ready for the day.
Since Hunny dropped her off at school, she was actually a little early and didn't feel stressed trying to rush to class. She found herself thinking about Hunny a lot that day. He had changed a lot and she couldn't help but appreciate those changes. She also thought about Mori, but she found her thoughts constantly returning to Hunny.
Haruhi had a small break between classes and decided to get something to drink. As she was sitting down and drinking her juice, she watched how the grass danced in the wind and petals from the trees floated down to the ground. Watching all of that, made her think of her dream. Kyoya's response yesterday wasn't the acceptance it was in her dream. She knew that it would take time. It had taken a long time to even start building her friendship with him and as the years past, their friendship grew. He didn't trust easily and she knew forgiveness would be even harder to come by. She accepted that and just hoped that he would give her a chance. She hadn't seen the other three yet, but knew it wasn't going to be that easy. She wished that one day they could all be as close as they once were and the way they were in her dream. Some may call that wishful thinking, but she figured if Mitsukuni and Mori could come back into her life and want to be there, anything is possible.
Haruhi went through the rest of her morning and school and then arrived at the law office where she interned. It wasn't the greatest and she got a lot of meaningless grunt work, but that is what interns were for, to do the jobs that no one else wanted to do. She filed, stuffed envelopes, made copies, and whatever else they decided to give her while she was there. She completed each task with a smile because she knew that they could help make or break her law career. She just thought she would learn a little more while on the job.
Haruhi made it to her little desk and looked at the different piles that were waiting for her. She had a stack of documents that needed copies and a stack that needed to be filed. She got herself situated and decided to make the copies first. As she made her way to the copy machine, she heard a small commotion coming from the front of the office. People sounded like they were surprised to see someone and were trying to impress them at the same time. She ignored it deciding it wasn't worth her time to get wrapped up in the office gossip or clients.
She reached the copy machine and made sure that it was stocked with paper and when she was done, she noticed that it had gotten unusually quiet around her. When she looked around, she noticed people were staring at her. Then she heard someone clear his throat behind her and she slowly turned around and received a huge surprise, Kyoya was standing there with his hands in his pockets looking at her, "Kyoya-senpai?"
"Miss Fujioka, Mr. Ootori is here to see you," one of the partners explained to her.
She heard the stress he gave Kyoya's name and assumed he was telling her how to properly address this very important person. She moved her gaze from Kyoya to her boss and could see the questions in his eyes, but she wasn't about to explain anything to him. Her gaze returned to Kyoya, "Mr. Ootori, what can I help you with?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the partner visibly relax.
Instead of addressing the woman who asked him a question, Kyoya turned to the man that was standing next to him, "I require Miss Fujioka's assistance this week. Please make sure that you do nothing with her spot as your intern and she will return to work next week. Is that acceptable?" It really wasn't a question, but he knew that such a request would raise questions and he decided to play the polite card and let him think he was asking for something.
"Yes, that will not be a problem. Miss Fujioka, please gather your things and we will see you next week," he rushed. He would do anything to get in the good graces of an Ootori, especially the one that was named the successor. If Kyoya wanted someone from his staff, he would give him anyone he wanted. Although he did question why such a man would want with his intern, he decided he would get his answers next week when she returned to work.
"I am sorry, but I have a lot of work to do," Haruhi said plainly. She didn't want to abandon the jobs assigned to her. She felt it her obligation to at least finish what she started. She got suddenly very nervous when she saw Kyoya raise his eye brow, but didn't back down.
"We will have someone else work on those items for you," her boss said as he grabbed the stack from her and pushed her towards her desk.
It appeared she did not have a choice. She let out a sigh, "Fine, let me just gather my things and I will be right there Kyo, I mean Mr. Ootori."
Kyoya nodded and turned to wait for her by the entrance of the office. He had been up all night thinking about her and everything that happened. He had kept tabs on her basics: where she lived, where she was in school, how Yasu seemed to disappear from her life about nine months ago, her jobs, and internship; but a lot of information was missing and he had a lot of questions. He thought about what Hunny had said and decided she owed him answers. He would listen to what she had to say and then decide what to do from there. Hunny was right, they had all missed her and nothing was quite the same since she left. He wasn't going to make this easy, but something told him to try.
Haruhi met him up at the front of the office. She was nervous and scared about what he had planned for her. She figured though she it couldn't be too horrible if she didn't get her fired from her internship and told them to keep her spot open. When she had reached him, she cleared her
throat, "I am ready Mr. Ootori."
Kyoya turned around when he heard her voice and nodded, "Let's go, my car is out front." He proceeded to lead the way. He didn't bother to check if she was following him, he just expected her to follow and when he could hear an echoing pair of steps on the tile in the foyer of the building, he knew that she was and a little bit of tension eased knowing that she was there.
When they had both exited the building, Haruhi started wondering what he could possibly want with a week of her life. He was the shadow king, he wanted something and she could not fathom what that could be, she only knew that if she wanted to count him as a friend again, she needed to go along with this for now. She followed him into the waiting limo. Once the door was closed, she felt she needed to say something, "Mr. Ootori, I just want to say that…"
He exhaled in a rush and loudly, "Please don't call me that. We may not be as close as we once were, but it somehow doesn't feel quite right when you say it."
"Ok Kyoya-senpai. I just wanted to say that I am truly sorry for everything. I know that it takes more than that to prove it to you though."
"Yes Haruhi, it does."
She could feel his gaze on her and started to squirm, "Then what did you want? Why did you ask them to let me go for the week? If you want to torture me or interfere with my career, you could have done it by ruining my internship."
He chuckled humorlessly, "I could have done it a million different ways. Do not forget who I am and what I am capable of Haruhi."
She gulped, "I remember Kyoya-senpai. You were the shadow king and I guess you always will be."
Another laugh, "I guess I am at that."
"Where are we going Senpai?" She asked shakily.
"Don't worry. I am not going to put you in the dungeon to be tortured, yet," he smirked at her.
"Yet?" Haruhi gasped. He always did know how to freak her out.
"We are going to my house. I figured it was best to talk in private. There are too many ears if we were to go somewhere public. I figured if you can win me over like you did Hunny and Mori, then we will see what we can do about the others."
Haruhi swallowed and sat back. She tried to calm her nerves and shaking, but it wasn't working. Kyoya was probably one of the more unforgiving hosts and she felt like he was already against forgiving her. She wondered if he was just doing this for Hunny and Mori, but decided against asking. Instead she leaned against her seat and stared out the window waiting for her time with the executioner.
They finally arrived at his house. When the driver opened the door, Kyoya got out and Haruhi followed. As much as she wanted him to forgive her and be her friend again, she knew he was a hard man. It had taken a long time to build up trust and their friendship, but it happened and now she felt like she was at square -100.
He led her into a study and shut the door behind him. She assumed it was his, but decided it might not be because he might not want to get blood on his carpet. She snickered at her own thoughts as he gestured for her to sit down on a couch in the sitting area. She knew he wanted to know what she had been laughing about when she looked up and saw his raised eyebrow. Did she dare tell him? Yes, she did because she was still Haruhi and she was still blunt, "I was wondering if this was your office, but then thought that it might be someone else's so that you wouldn't get blood on the carpet."
He rolled his eyes. She hadn't changed much. She had changed physically a bit, her hair was longer and she seemed a bit thinner, but she was still very much the same Haruhi, "It is my office. If you get blood on the carpet or the furniture, I am sure you have commoner wisdom on how to clean it up."
This was the Kyoya she remembered and she couldn't take offense to the comment, "I am sure I can come up with something."
They were interrupted by a maid that brought in tea service. When she left and Haruhi had served the tea at Kyoya's request, the interrogation started, "What is your game Haruhi?"
"Game? I don't have a game Senpai," Haruhi responded confused.
"So you just happen to be in the coffee shop and happen to run into Hunny?"
"Yes, I had finished morning classes and did not have to be anywhere since I was not scheduled to work and my internship told me to take the afternoon off. I decided I wasn't ready to go home and went to that café to study a bit and to relive old memories of all of us. I was attempting to read when I heard Mitsukuni's voice. I had just been thinking about all of you and was missing you; I almost thought I was dreaming. I got up and walked up to him, but instead of a graceful hello, I slipped on the wet floor and fell down. He is the one that helped me up and back to my table."
"I see. Anything else?"
"We talked while he waited for Mori and then they invited me to lunch. I wasn't lying in wait Kyoya-senpai if that is what you are thinking!"
"What about Yasu?"
"He is in jail, although not for too much longer," she said quietly.
"Why?"
Haruhi took a long look at Kyoya and decided it was time to be completely honest with him. She told him the whole story. When she was done he knew of the controlling way, the phone call with the twins, the beatings, he knew it all. Tears were sliding down her face again by the end of her recounting and she took the handkerchief that Kyoya offered her.
"I guess that would explain why Yasu seemed to be out of the picture. Why didn't you try to contact us after everything was over with?" Kyoya asked.
"What do you mean out of the picture?" Haruhi countered.
"I still kept tabs on you, but it was just surface stuff. I didn't know what happened or where he was. I can assure you that if I had known, he would not be in a regular prison right now. So why didn't you contact us?"
She couldn't look at him when she answered, "I was scared and ashamed. I figured after the phone call with the twins, no one wanted to talk to me. Not after the way I left. I honestly believed that I would never see any of you again and that I had lost my chance when I chose him over you. I regret that night every day and I wish I could change it, but I can't."
"I have often wished, along with the others, for a different outcome to that night also. We were trying to protect you, but I can understand why you did what you did."
Haruhi's head shot up, "You can?"
Kyoya smirked at her, "Yes, I can. Some of us, Tamaki and Hikaru, were a bit overzealous with the demands that you stop seeing Yasu. I also know that Tamaki had gotten worse after you two broke up with trying to play the father role and I can understand how you may have wanted to prove that you were your own person and he couldn't tell you what to do. Unfortunately all of us were thrown into the same bucket."
She looked down at her clasped hands and nodded. She had thrown them all into the same category as Tamaki and later Hikaru when they tried to tell her that Yasu was bad news. "You will probably never understand how much I regret that or how sorry I really am."
Kyoya moved from his place in a chair opposite the couch to sit next to Haruhi on the couch. In a very unKyoya-like manner he placed one arm around her shoulders and used his other hand to lift her face to where she was looking at him, "I might not understand it all, but I do understand and I accept your apology."
"Y-You do?" Haruhi said surprised.
"Yes, it hasn't been the same since you quit us and I know that you are sorry for that night. You seem to have punished yourself enough and although, I could come up with some additional punishments, I think we will forgo that for now. Just be happy that you are not in debt to us still," he said seriously before giving her a real smile when he noticed her fear at the word debt. "Relax. I am not starting a new one. Well at least not yet."
Haruhi chuckled, "Thank you Kyoya-senpai."
"You know we are not in school any longer, well you are, but I'm not. I think you are safe to drop the senpai."
She gave him the smile that help dub her the natural host and said, "Ok Kyoya."
"Now you have three hosts on your side and there are three others that don't think too highly of you right now. I am having dinner with all of the old hosts next weekend. That will give us a week and a half to see what we can do about the others," Kyoya said as he removed his arm and walked to his desk.
"I know about the dinner. Mitsukuni already invited me to come."
Kyoya was a little shocked by this news, but didn't show it. "Well then you know that it is a monthly thing and your attendance will be mandatory going forward." He looked up from what he was doing in time to see her roll her eyes, "Now as for the others, Tamaki is in France until Saturday so we cannot go and see him until this weekend. Hikaru and Kaoru are currently in town and we can go to see them tomorrow. I will set up the appointment and see if Hunny and Mori can attend with us."
"Are you sure about this?" Haruhi asked hesitantly.
"If you want to try to have all six of us back in your life, then yes. It is the best way to do this. If we wait for the dinner then that could make for a public spectacle and we don't want that. Do we?" He eyed her with a very serious shadow king look.
She squirmed in her seat under his gaze, but finally said, "No, we don't want that. So does this mean that you are back in my life?" She wanted to make absolutely sure that he was giving their friendship another chance and not just forgiving her.
"Yes, it does. I am willing to give you another chance on the condition that when we offer advice, you not act like a child and storm off when you don't get your way."
She wanted to roll her eyes and glare at him, but she controlled herself. It would have been wasted anyway since he was looking down at his computer and typing, "I will if you guys try not to control my life. I think I have had enough of that."
He looked up when she said that. He could only imagine how bad it really was and agreed she had had enough. He would make sure that when Yasu got out of jail, he stayed away from her permanently. "I believe you probably have, but I ask that if you feel like we are controlling you, that you talk to us first. And please be aware that I cannot control how Tamaki acts, I believe you are still the lost daughter to him."
"I will discuss it with you and will make a mental note about Tamaki."
Kyoya smirked at her, "You really haven't changed much."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"A good thing given the circumstances, but we will see what happens in the future."
Haruhi smiled at him and nodded. She felt better and now that Kyoya was on her side, she was half way back to having all of her friends in her life again. She was brought out of thoughts when her cell phone rang. She quickly grabbed it and noticed that it was getting late. She would need to leave soon if she wanted to get to work on time. She answered the phone and heard a very excited voice on the other end, "Hi Mitsukuni."
"Haru-Chan, do you want to go to dinner tonight?" Hunny asked.
"I would love to, but I have to work tonight," Haruhi explained. She was disappointed that she would have to go to her job instead of to dinner with her friend. She wasn't sure why, but she was really looking forward to seeing him again more so than the others. She figured it was probably because he was the one to find her and the one that she spilled everything to first.
"Actually Haruhi, I have already contacted your place of employment and you have the next week off in order to prepare for the dinner," Kyoya interrupted.
"Hold on Mitsukuni," she growled into phone. "What the hell do you mean by that Kyoya? I have to work to earn money for certain items. I am not a rich bastard like you are. Remember what I said about control?"
"Yes, well Haruhi, I did that before I went to your law firm and don't worry about your expenses over the next week. Everything will be covered," Kyoya said simply. His voice was telling her not to argue with him.
"Fine, but next time you have to ask me. Maybe I needed that money for books or fees or something," Haruhi grumbled.
"If that is the case Haruhi, just let us know the amount and we will make sure it is taken care of; and don't worry, I won't even make you owe a debt," Kyoya replied.
Haruhi shot him a glare and put the phone back up to her face, "It looks like I am suddenly free for dinner."
"Are you with Kyo-Chan? Is everything alright?" Hunny asked worriedly.
"Everything is fine. We talked it all out and he has a plan for the others," she said.
"That is wonderful Haru-Chan! We need to celebrate. Ask if Kyo-Chan can come to dinner also, ok?" Hunny sounded so ecstatic upon hearing that Kyoya forgave her.
Haruhi looked over to the shadow king, "Can you come to dinner with us?"
"I believe that could be arranged. It would make it easier to discuss my plan if we are all in the same room together," Kyoya said without looking up.
"Yes, he can come also," Haruhi spoke into the phone.
"Yay! Meet Takashi and I at our place by 6:30 then," Hunny instructed.
Haruhi agreed to that before she hung up the phone. She knew that she should be happy that Kyoya is doing all of this, but at the same time she was a little irritated that he went behind her back. She was trying to just let it go though since it happened before he heard the whole story. "Stupid shadow king and his shadow king ways," Haruhi mumbled under her breath.
"I heard that," Kyoya smirked moving away from his desk and returning to the sitting area.
Haruhi blushed and looked a bit scared, but there was nothing she could really do about it, "Mitsukuni said to meet he and Mori at their apartment by 6:30."
"That is acceptable. Do you need to go home before dinner?"
"Yah, I do," Haruhi said as she stood up. "Well I guess I will see you at dinner."
Kyoya stood up also, "I will take you to your apartment and let you change. Then we can ride over to Hunny and Mori's together."
She nodded and accepted his offer, "Do you think I have a shot with the other three?"
"I know they were hurt, but if you convinced me, I think you can convince them. It may just be a little harder, but I think you have a very good chance of having all six of us consider you a friend again," Kyoya said simply before he led her out of the house.
She really hoped that he was right and said a silent prayer that everything would work in her favor in the end. As she climbed back into the limo and Kyoya gave his driver the address, she realized having the hosts in her life again would definitely make it more interesting and she couldn't wait.